Questions for those here on the bilingual board who post solely in Irish. Why don't you include at least a summary in English? Your attitude seems to come across as "If you don't understand it, you have no business here."
There are a lot of people out here who are rank beginners or potential learners so why are they to be excluded from the discussions? Perhaps I am alone in this opinion but it has been mentioned previously.
("Tharraing sé mioscais na tíre air féin.")

Sometimes I wonder what is being said as well, particularly if it is on a thread that I started and someone switches the language over. But I try to tell myself that if it was something they thought I'd be interested in then they would either tell me in English or they would attach my name to the Irish so I would know I should translate it. After all they have a right to speak Irish if they like, especially on an Irish language forum so theoretically they shouldn't have to post an English summary. Really the only time, aside from on threads that I've started, that I have felt slightly unpleased was on the recent "thought experiment" thread because it directly concerned me, being something that I take immense interest in. But we all have freedom to write in the manner we choose and I wouldn't wish to take that away from anyone.

Beir bua agus beannacht

Alun,

pure laziness on my part, I'm afraid.
It would take me as long, or longer, to post a summary in english as it does to post in Irish.

I know some people learn from my posts - we had an agreement that after 24 hours somebody could post a translation, which I would be happy to correct. That seeems to have been forgotten since.

Are you kidding? Do you frequently hang around foreign languages you don't understand and expect people to translate every time they say something because you're in their presence? The Irish speakers are not here for the learners' convience, and the learners are not here for the convenience of the Irish speakers. I think you'll see things differently when you start becoming more capable in Irish (or any language, at that). Sorry if this is a rather blunt; I mean it in the friendliest way possible. :-) I just think your perspective is a little skewed.

A Aonghuis a chara,

Thats because Mac Leinn has disappeared and he was the one who wished to do that.I wonder where in tarnation he has gone off to.

Beir bua agus beannacht

I've also noticed there seems to be a lot more Irish on this side of the board lately. I think this is quite healthy; for a while it felt like this had turned into an "English Only" board rather than bilingual.

I agree with Aonghus: summarizing your post in a second language (even if it's your native language) is extra work, and that's probably the #1 reason we don't do it.

I doubt that most people are reading the same contemptuous dismissal of lucht an Bhéarla into this that you are, though. Exclusion happens regularly in bilingual environments where not everyone at the table has both languages. It's generally not intentional, and most people (particularly those who have been in such situations before) don't take it that way.

Irish is a minority language; to survive in the public space, its speakers must be allowed to speak it, without apology! If we fall back on English every time there is one non-Irish speaker around - or even every time the non-Irish speakers are in the majority - then we will never get any Irish spoken in public.


Note: I'm referring to "we" here because I assume I'm part of the group you're talking about - if anyone really wants to make a distinction between "learners" and "Irish speakers", though, they'd have to put me down as the former. I write in Irish for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that I need the practice.

When I joined the board about 15 months ago, there certainly was more English here. But as the amount of Irish used increased I felt that I should post more in Irish, particularly where the thread was being conducted primarily as Gaeilge.

For me that was a good thing as I am naturally a bit lazy, and as my purpose for joining was to improve my Irish, being "prodded" (and I mean that in the most benign way) to do so was good for me.

Having said that, nobody has ever raised an issue with me contributing in English where the thread was in Irish. Also if you do not understand soemthing and ask for a translation, the contributers will always help.

Pour moi,

Lazyness. But i'd defend myself. I'm not here as a translator, and this isn't an english language forum to discuss the irish language. It's bilingual and related to an ghaeilge.

If there was something you wanted translated or you did not follow i for one would be more than happy to help.

... And just to be nice... ;)

Bím leisciúil agus mé ag scríobh anseo. Ach caithfidh mé m'úsáid na gaeilge amháin a chosaint. Ní aistritheoir mé agus ní fóram béarla a bhaineann leis an ngaeilge é seo. Fóram dátheangach a bhaineann leis an ngaeilge atá ann.

Dá mba rud é go raibh tú ag lorg aistriúcháin ar rud éigin bhéinn féin breá sásta cabhrú leat alun.

D

Gabhaigí mo leithscéal for the inappropriate and inflammatory title for the posting i.e. "Fairsíneachas.
Toirtéis".

I ainm Chroim, cad is "Fairsíneachas" ann, ar aon nós?

ag deanamh faireachain ar daoine Sineach, b'fheidir?

I wouldn't expect anyone to translate their posts here into English. If you're really that interested in the Irish language, you would get out a pen and paper, and start translating the posts using the many tools available online.

A quick translation into English will not help you to learn the language; if anything, it will make you lazy.